Crossbench peer urges UK Parliament to consider the transformative potential of longevity research for both public health and economy.
Following a general election, the United Kingdom has a new Government; in a recent speech during the House of Lords debates on the King’s Speech which opened the new parliament, Lord Lebedev, a crossbench life peer, articulated the pressing need for advancing longevity research in the UK.
Lord Lebedev, who holds Russian-British nationality, owns Lebedev Holdings Ltd, which owns the Evening Standard and ESTV, and he is also an investor in The Independent. He used his address to the House to draw attention to the emerging scientific field of geroscience, explaining that developments in this area promise substantial benefits for both the nation’s health and economy. As a trustee of Hevolution Foundation, Lord Lebedev noted he is deeply invested in longevity research – an area he believes could transform the medical landscape of the country.
Longevity.Technology: In an era where life expectancy continues to rise, policymakers are increasingly recognizing the importance of ensuring that the years added to life are spent in good health. This growing awareness underscores the critical need for advancing research that not only extends lifespan but also improves healthspan, thereby mitigating the economic and social burden of age-related diseases.
The UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for Longevity was, until its disbanding last year, pushing for parity in healthspan and lifespan and calling for action to remedy health equality as an aging population stretches the National Health Service. Earlier this month, the OSCE Parliament endorsed longevity-focused policies and demographic considerations in the Bucharest Declaration, and also this month, as the presidential race gets underway, we saw the launch of LongeviPAC, an organization committed to supporting candidates that advocate for ‘pro-longevity’ legislative initiatives.
Longevity research: A medical and economic imperative
Lord Lebedev began by highlighting the medical crisis Britain faces, noting that although life expectancy is increasing, the proportion of time spent in good health is decreasing. “We must urgently develop a new approach to medicine,” he stated, emphasizing that tackling the root causes of diseases is essential. He cited heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s as conditions that share fundamental underlying causes, according to the latest research [1].
Central to understanding age-related diseases is the discovery of the 12 hallmarks of aging, including the loss of stem cells and metabolic dysregulation. Lord Lebedev pointed to a new theory suggesting that aging is driven by the loss of vital regulatory information within cells, rather than by the accumulation of damage over time. This theory posits that epigenetic reprogramming could potentially reset bodily tissues to a more functional state [2]. He noted that scientific studies have already reversed vision loss in mice, with human trials set to begin next year.
Cutting-edge developments in longevity science
Lord Lebedev’s speech highlighted several cutting-edge developments, including the discovery of senolytics, and he drew attention to research in British laboratories that is informing how to address the underlying factors behind aging, rather than merely treating its symptoms.
“We are standing at the precipice of a medical revolution catalyzed by medical monitoring devices, genomics and the understanding of what drives ageing,” he asserted [1].
Economic benefits of longevity research
Turning to the economic implications, Lord Lebedev urged the House to consider the substantial financial benefits. The cost of age-related diseases in the UK is staggering, amounting to billions of pounds annually, with dementia alone costing £34.7 billion each year. He warned that the economic burden is projected to rise sharply as the population continues to age.
By developing therapies that reverse age-related diseases, people could not only live longer but in good health. He cited estimates from the Office for National Statistics, suggesting that increasing the state pension age could keep people working longer and add £55 billion annually to the UK economy. Additionally, a 20% reduction in six major diseases could boost the annual GDP by almost £20 billion, as per Andrew Scott of the Global Institute.
Parallels with obesity treatment
Drawing parallels with obesity treatment, Lord Lebedev mentioned breakthrough drugs like Wegovy, which address the underlying causes rather than just the symptoms. These drugs have significantly impacted Denmark’s economy, with its GDP expected to grow by 2.1% this year thanks to these medications. He encouraged that a similar approach should be taken towards aging, treating it as a medical condition in itself.
A call for a paradigm shift
Lord Lebedev concluded with a call for a significant changes in the approach to aging. “We need a paradigm shift,” he declared, urging the nation to tackle aging with the same mindset applied to other medical conditions, and making the point that by becoming the first country to treat aging as a medical condition, the UK could lead the way in developing more effective interventions and improved health outcomes [1]. He envisioned a future where aging no longer equates to inevitable decline but instead represents continued opportunity for vitality and productivity well into people’s eighties – and beyond.
Lord Lebedev stressed that the rapid advancements in longevity science deserve as much attention as the AI revolution, given their potential impact.
“The science is now moving as rapidly as the AI revolution and will be similarly if not more impactful,” Lord Lebedev concluded, calling for immediate and focused investment in this transformative field [1].
[1] https://hansard.parliament.uk/Lords/2024-07-22/debates/1B4EB980-C89A-475B-B77D-8B6A0EA26C3C/details#main-content
Recorded in Hansard: King’s Speech (4th Day) Volume 839: debated on Monday 22 July 2024. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0.
[2] https://www.cell.com/cell/fulltext/S0092-8674(22)01570-7
